Tag Archives: hot springs

Float Plane Over Rotorua

1 Reply

Rotorua is a huge adventure city with lots of activities to kick up your adrenalin.  But in the end we only had a day and a half in this fun city.  We decided take a float plane over Rotorua, do the Redwood Tree Swing bridge walk and spend a few hours at Polynesia Spa.

Float Plane

Volcanic Air  set us up on a DHC-3 De Havilland Otter.  Our captain, Callum gave us really great commentary during our 35 minute flight.

Our take off point is just off of Lake Rotorua where we have less than 1′ depth at the departure point.  It is a very shallow lake that is a bright green from the algae bloom.

We pass by Nokia Island which is a protected island full of dozens of New Zealand birds.

More beautiful shots of Lake Rotorua.

The bottom left photo is a picture of Rotorua.

Volcano Fly Over

Callum flew us over the Mount Tarawere Volcano.  At first it just looked like a vast dry area, but as we got closer and flew over the crevice you could clearly see the volcano.

The colors around the volcano are spectacular.   The last time it erupted in 1886 and was the largest and most destructive event in New Zealand’s history.

There are lots of amazing bike tracks and hiking trails all over the mountainsides of Rotorua.

The top photo is Sulfur Bay which has a white layer spread across the top.  The lower left photo is of the frying pan and Inferno lake.  The Frying Pan is the worlds largest hot spring and Inferno Lake is crystal clear blue water.  The lower right is a beautiful new tree farm.

We return over Lake Rotorua and head back to “base.”  But just before we get there we fly over a large logging company.  Luckily, NZ forces them to plant new trees to make up for some of the trees they log.

It was a really cool experience to fly in a float plane.  A first for all of us.  We had super calm winds and weather conditions were good.  Our pilot was super experienced and informed us of Rotorua’s history and geographical high points.  Super fun experience.

Events from this blog occurred around mid-March.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.  Did you check out our last blog post on the geothermal pools?

The Lost Springs

Leave a reply

In the heart of Whitianga, right downtown, is a unique and magical oasis called The Lost Springs.  This is in the backyard of a very determined man who spent 16 years tenaciously searching before striking water.  He then spent another 4/5 years finishing the build these fantastic thermal pools.  The water which comes from springs 667 meters below ground are considered to be over 16,000 years old!

The Lost Springs were sculpted by the hands and vision of the founder Alan Hopping.  The pools are only open Friday-Sunday.  Getting there early  to enjoy the peace and tranquility that this place has to offer.  There are several pools with water temperatures ranging from 32° to 41°C and pools no deeper than chest height. 

The Lost Springs are covered in gorgeous plants, flowers, rocks and gemstones.  Giving you the impression that you are truly in the hot springs.  There is an attached spa and restaurant  to enjoy as well.  And for those who really like to indulge you can enjoy poolside service including snacks and beverages.

The Hot Springs

The first pool you come to is the Lagoon which is fresh water and cold!  We were not brave enough to swim in this one.  It has a lovely waterfall that you pass by on the way to the other pools.

Next you pass through the Amethyst cave which boats of stalagmites and stalactites as well as beautiful gems embedded into the rock (all man-made).

They have beautiful colored lights that illuminate the rocks and gemstones.

We really liked this spot as it was warm, secluded and tranquil.

But we did venture out to the Amethyst pool where we enjoyed a poolside cocktail to start the day.

Crater Lake

The furthest and hottest pool is the Crater Lake.  It has two mini pools that feed into the main pool.  The two mini pools are the hottest and depending on where you sit you may end up where the spring feeds in.

Super fun experience in a very beautiful setting.  I highly recommend visiting The Lost Springs if you ever find yourself in Whitianga!

Events from this blog occurred in mid-January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  Don’t miss our last blog where we explore Whitianga Waterways by land, air and sea.

Adventure River Tubing and Mud Baths

Leave a reply

We take an adventure on the first day that Wayne arrives in Fiji.  Sure, he just flew for 24 hours, but why not?  We join some old friends Mani & Thomas (Scooter), Andreas (Pico) and new friends Olivia (Juniper), Holly (Gecko), Natasha (chef at Surf and Turf), and tour operators Sharon Wild and Sami.

We pile into a large 5-ton truck with benches and tarps over the cage siding.  Really loud and bumpy ride, but fun none the less.  The tubes followed in a separate truck.

The tarp was down so we could only see the view from the back.  What we could see was super lovely.

And it just kept getting better as we went up the mountain side.

We all grab our tubes and make our way to the Nagawaga River’s edge.  We were unsure as to whether or not we would be able to tube because it had been raining all day.  Sharon, our guide, said that we may have to abort due to rapids and debris.  But, lucky for us the river was perfect!  The river was super lazy and slow with very minor rapids in a few places.

Nagawaga Fresh water

It is a fresh water river that runs through the forest.  It is a wee bit chilly!

We had a great time goofing around.

At one point, we started a long train down the river (even across a few rapids and a corner in the river).

Everything was so lush and green!  We even saw a cow enjoying his lunch by the river.

We end with lunch on the river’s edge.

Several of us wore wet suits in preparation of the cold water.  I was super comfortable with what I wore even though I look like the Michelin Man in black.  Matt and Wayne only wore t-shirts and shorts – not sure how they did it!

Hot Springs and Mud Bath

Sharon, our guide, took us to a super cool hot spring / mud bath.  We all gingerly climbed in as it was pretty warm (jacuzzi warm).  As you moved around the muddy pool (which had clear water even though it looks brown), you find little pockets or holes where the heat rises from.  It gives you toasty toes.

The ladies give each other a super mud facial to cleanse our skin.

What a spectacular day we had tubing down the fresh water river through the forest.  The hot springs and mud bath were the toping on the day!

Events from this blog occurred in early July.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events. We sail from Southern Lao to Savusavu in our last blog post.